Edexcel A Level Music - Petals vocab

Harmonics

A very high note on a string instrument produced by placing a finger on a string very lightly before plucking or bowing.

Partials

Higher, much quieter sounds above the fundamental.

Reverberation

A sustaining effect that creates the impression of being in a physical space.

Signal processing

Analysing, modifying, and synthesising sound signals.

Trill

A quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes.

Atonal

Music that does not belong to a particular key.

Dyad

A chord made up of two notes.

Overtone

A musical tone which is part of the harmonic series above a fundamental note, and may be heard with it.

Spectral analysis

Computer analysis of sound as the basis for composition.

Accelerando

Getting faster.

Dectuplet

10 notes in the time of 8.

Pulseless

No particular pulse. Free time.

Quintuplet

5 notes in the time of 4.

Ritenuto

Hold back the music for dramatic effect.

Septuplet

7 notes in the time of 4.

Syncopation

Emphasising beats of the bar that are normally unaccented.

Chromatic

Notes that do not belong to the key, or move by semitones.

Microtone

An interval smaller than a semitone.

Quarter tone

The tone between a semitone.

Retrograde

Play a melody backwards.

Sequence

The immediate repetition at a different pitch of a melody.

Drone

A type of pedal that usually consists of the tonic and dominant.

Monophonic

A single line which can be played or sung by several people.

Pedal

A sustained or repeated note sounded against changing harmonies.

Artificial harmonic

A harmonic produced on a stopped string on a stringed instrument.

Double stopping

Playing two notes at the same time on a string instrument.

Electronic amplification

Making a sound louder by electronic means.

Fundamental

The musical pitch of a note that is perceived as the lowest partial present.

Glissando

Slide from one note to another.

Harmoniser

'Detunes' the input pitch be adding pitches a quarter tone above and below simultaneously.

Pizzicato

Pluck the string.